Superman and Wonder Woman, two of the mightiest heroes of the comics world, are about to become the ultimate power couple.

The potentially earth-shattering romance – what happens when a man with the ability to move mountains falls for a woman who is stronger than Hercules? – follows DC Comics' reboot of almost its entire comics range last year, taking them back to square one and erasing details including Superman's marriage to intrepid reporter Lois Lane.

Writer Geoff Johns said that a significant event was set to send the Man of Steel and the Amazonian warrior into each other's arms in the new comic Justice League #12, out on 29 August, moving the duo "from super-powered colleagues to power couple".

The new cover shows the two superheroes locking lips surrounded by Wonder Woman's lasso of truth. According to artist Jim Lee, it was inspired by Gustav Klimt's The Kiss and Alfred Eisenstaedt's VJ Day in Times Square photograph.

While the romance is likely to send some comic fans into a froth of anticipation – there is an entire website dedicated to the pairing – Johns and Lee are also anticipating it will enrage others. "Hopefully this will raise a lot of eyebrows," Lee told Entertainment Weekly. "We welcome the water-cooler chatter."

The DC Comics New 52 reboot has already brought other changes for Superman: he no longer wears his red pants outside his blue suit and his adoptive parents, Jonathan and Martha Kent, have died. Other changes to characters have included the sexuality of original Green Lantern.

The change in direction is unlikely to affect the Superman film franchise which, like Spider-Man, is getting a Hollywood reboot. The film Man of Steel is due for release next summer with British actor Henry Cavill (the Duke of Suffolk in The Tudors) in the title role and Russell Crowe playing the role Marlon Brando played in 1978, Superman's Kryptonian dad, Jor-El. Amy Adams plays Lois Lane.

While a late addition of Wonder Woman to the film would be a surprise, to say the least, there is talk of her finally getting her own. Variety reported over the summer that Green Lantern screenwriter Michael Goldenberg was writing a script for Warner Bros.

It is likely to be a far cry from the more homespun and fondly remembered 1970s TV series which starred Lynda Carter.